Combined billfold and change purse



2 sheets-shea 1 HA/375 /facw E. E. KOCH COMBINED BILLFOLD AND CHANGE PURSE Aug. 29, 195o Flled Jan. 12, 1950 Aug. 29, 1950 E. E. KocH 2,520,465

COMBINED BILLFOLD AND CHANGE; PURSE Filed Jan. 12, l9 50 2 Sheet's-Sheet 2 1| I1 33, 1 l 2a, 2f HT Il i1 9% if* il: 2 il. Vey U93', il E; 2/ /gg {a1-mm., f

Patented Aug. 29, 1950 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFCE 3 Claims.

This invention `relates to purses and aims to provide an improved 4combined billfold and change purse.

The combined billfold and change purse which I have invented is particularlydesigned for use by ladies. It 15.01 the type in which the dimensions of the billfold areA such that papel cur.- rency can be placed in it without folding. The billfold is made` of a iexible material such as leather so- .that it can be Afolded. to bring the bottorn edge into alignment with the top edge. Flat paper money is placed in the billfold when it is unfolded 4and it is then vfolded Aand a-ny one of several bills can be withdrawn therefrom without unfolding. The change nurse Consists of a pocket for coins and the lilfze which is attached t0 the bililfOld and which may be` opened without unfolding the billion.

The purses which have been used in the past to provide a .combined billifold and Qhangepurse have been sdb-ject to the serions disadvantage that the billioid `contained only a single compartrnent lfor the reception of unfolded banlinotes and one or more of the following additional disadvantages: the banknote compartment and the `coin pocket were noteifeetively separated `from each other; the construction of the banhnote compartment has been such that it did not permit ready inspection o1 the contents of that compartment; inspection 4of the contents of the banknote compartment Arequired such an Vexposure of those contents that onlookers could observe them; it .was diilcult to withdraw only the selected one 4Vof a number of banknotes; and they have beenof an undesirably bulky construction.

I have discovered that `each of .the oregoing disadvantages can be overcome and `a combined billfoldand .change purse having a very attractive appearance :can be produced by providing the billfold` with a mouth which may be closed by a pair of hinged jaws and by mounting the change purse within the mouth of the billfold so that it is concealed when the mouth of the billtold is `closed Iand access may be had to the interior .of the -billfold along .either side .of the change purse when the mouth of the billfold is opened.

A ,combined billtold and change purse constructed in accordance with my invention in.- cludes a pair of rectangular walls formed from strips of flexible material fastened to each other along a side edge and the lower edge to provide a banknote `container having an opening along one side terminating at its upper end in a wide mouth. A pair of `hinged jaws which extend along `and are fastened respectively to the upper ends of the walls provides a closure for the mouth of the billfold. The change purse consists .of a pocket of ilexible` material whose mouth can be closed by a pair of hinged jaws which are attached thereto; The change purse is supported within the mouth of the billfold by a pair of stub shafts connecting the `ends of the change purse jaws with the corresponding ends oithe billfold jaws so that banknotes may be withdrawn from the mouth of the billiold at either side of the change purse. A partition formed from a strip of ilexible material preferably extends :between the walls of the billiold from their lower ends tothe change purse to provide a pair of separated banknote compartments within the billfcld and which are accessible through the mouth of the billfold.

A specific embodiment of my invention, in the form which `I now prefer, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one face of the folded purse;

Fig. -2 is an elevation of the other face of the folded purse;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the inner side of the unfolded purse;

Fig. ll a side elevation `of the unfolded purse showing the billfold mouth in open position and the billfold walls spread apart;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the unfolded purse;

Fig. 6 is a section along the lines 8 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a top plan View of the purse showing the hinged jaws of the vbillfold mouth in open position;

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. '7 but showing 1 the hinged jaws of the mouth of the change purse in open position;

Fig. 9 is a plan View of the purse showing the mouth of the billfold in closed position; and

Fig. 10 is a side elevation showing the jaws of the `billfold mouth and the jaws of the mouth of the change purse in `open position.

The purse illustrated in the drawings includes a rectangular outer wall I4 and a rectangular inner wall I5. The outer wall I4 is formed from a strip I 6 of eXible material such as leather and is preferably lined with a strip Il of material such as silk. The inner wall I is preferably formed from a strip I9 of flexible material such as leather lined with a strip 2U of material such as silk. The walls I4, I5 are attached to each other along one of their side edges and along their bottom edge to provide a container which is open along one side, for banknotes 2l. The upper ends of the walls I4, I 5 are attached respectively to hinged jaws 22, '23 which provide a closure for the wide mouth of the banknote container. A pair of clasps 24, are attached to the respective jaws 22, 23 and are adapted to engage each other when the mouth of the banknote container is closed.

A change purse 2l is formed from a folded strip 28 of exible material such as leather whose ends are attached to hinged jaws 29, 39. Clasps 3|, 32 are attached to the jaws 29, @il and are adapted to engage each other when the mouth of the change purse 21 is closed. The dimensions of the change purse 2l are such that it may be contained between the upper portions of the walls I4, I5 when the jaws 22, 23 are closed and it is supported in this position by a pair of stub shafts 33, 3!! which connect the ends of the pair of jaws 28, 3Q with the corresponding ends of the pair of jaws 22, 23 so that both pairs of jaws are hinged along a common axis.

A partition between the walls M., I5 divides the space between those walls into two separated compartments 3l, 38 for the reception of unfolded banknotes. The partition 35 is preferably formed from two strips 39, lli of a flexible material such as silk. The upper end of the partition is connected with the change purse 21, and, in the specic embodiment of my invention which is shown in the drawings, the strips 39, lil embrace the pocket of the change vpurse 2l and have their upper ends connected with the jaws 29, 3@ as best illustrated in Fig. 5. The lower ends of the strips are fastened to the lower ends of the walls ill, I5.

The bottom of the change purse 2l is above the middle of the billfold. This permits the billfold to be folded without interference from pocket i5 or its contents, and the bottom edge of the billfold can be brought into alignment with its upper edge. The inner wall i5 is provided with a snap fastener 42 to keep the billfold in folded position. The inner wall I5 may also be provided, ii desired, with a pocket 43 for calling cards, identication cards, and the like. Y

Banknotes, checks, and the like, can be placed in the compartments 38 when the billfold is unfolded and the billfold walls ie, I5 are spread apart as best illustrated in Fig. 4. The provision of a pair of separated compartments 3l, 3S enables the user to place bills of large denominations in one of the compartments and bills of smaller denominations in the other compartment. After the billiold has been folded, the contents of the compartment di or the compartment S8 can be very easily examined by releasing the clasps 25a, 25 and swinging the jaws 22, 23 apart. This provides a very wide mouth through which any selected bill can be withdrawn from the oompartment 3i or the compartment i8 without removing any other bills from that compartment, and the change purse 2i' may be swung about the stub shafts to hide the Contents of either of the compartments 31 or 38 so that, when the user desires to extract a bill of small denomination romone of the compartments, she need not disclose to others the presence of bills of larger denominations in the other compartment.

After the jaws 22, 23 are swung apart, the change purse can be easily opened by releasing clasps Si, 32 and swinging apart jaws 29, 3D. Since the jaws 23 and the jaws 29, 30 are hinged along a common axis, both pairs of jaws may be opened to the same extent and the likelihood or misplacing coins in the banknote compartment may be avoided thereby. Engagement of the clasps 3i, 32 prevents coins from spilling into the billiold when the purse 2'! is closed.

The terms which I have used in describing the preferred embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in the drawings are terms of description and not of limitation, and it is to be understood that modications can be made in the speciiic embodiment of my invention which I have described without departing from the spirit of my invention as it is defined in the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A combined billfold and change purse comprising a pair of rectangular walls formed from strips of flexible material fastened to each other along a side edge and a lower edge, a partition of flexible material between said walls and fastened thereto along said lower edge to provide a pair of banknote compartments communicating with a wide mouth, and a closure for said mouth comprising a pair of hinged jaws extending along and fastened respectively to the upper ends of said walls; a pocket formed from flexible material contained within said mouth, connected with the upper end of said partition and having an open end accessible through said mouth, and a closure for said open end comprising a pair of hinged jaws attached thereto; and a pair of stub shafts connecting the ends of the first-named pair of jaws with the corresponding ends of the second-named pair of jaws.

2. A combined billfold and change purse comprising a pair of rectangular walls formed from strips of flexible material fastened to each other along a side edge and a lower edge, a partition between said walls formed from a pair of strips of exible material fastened to said walls along their lower edges to provide a pair of banknote compartments communicating with a wide mouth, and a closure for said mouth comprising a pair of hinged jaws extending along and fastened respectively to the upper ends of said walls; a pocket formed from exible material contained within said mouth between the upper portions of the partition strips and having an open end accessible through said mouth, and a closure for said open end comprising a pair of hinged jaws attached thereto; and a pair of stub shafts connecting the ends of the first-named pair of jaws with the corresponding ends of the second-named pair of jaws.

3. A combined billfold and change purse comprising a pair of rectangular walls formed from strips of flexible material having a pair of side edges and a lower edge fastened to each other along one side edge and the lower edge, a partition of flexible material between said walls and fastened thereto along said lower edge to provide a pair of separated banknote compartments each having an opening along the other of said side edges and communicating with a wide mouth, and a closure for Said mouth comprising a pair of hinged jaws extending along and fastened re- UNITED STATES PATENTS spectively to the upper ends of said walls; ai Number Name Date pocket formed from flexible material contained 675 687 Vogelgesang June 4 1991 within said mouth, connected with the upper end 1 235949 Novel. "July 31 1917 of said partition and having an open end ac- 5 1379317 Hegwel May 31 1921 cessible through said mouth, and a closure for 1492261 Novel, Apr 29 1925 said open end comprising a pair of hinged jaws 2298543 Schmg Oct 13 l942 attached thereto; and a pair of stub shafts con- 2397'393 Wetterhar; "MMI 26 1946 necting the ends of the first-named pair of jaws 2419846 Merz Apr' 29 1947 With the corresponding ends of the second-named 10 221281797 Hard' Oc't 7 1947 Pair 0f JaWS- 4631917 stember 1119.1191949 ERNEST E- KOCH- 2,48s,444 st. Thomas Nov. 15, 1949 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 15 file of this patent: 

